Pretending
by TiredAndWriting
Summary: Boleska one-shot from one year after the festival at the SWT; enjoy!


**Boleska one-shot that takes place one year after the festival at the SWT; enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own le nothing.**

* * *

A year after the festival in the Southern Water Tribe, Korra, Mako, Bolin, Asami, and the rest of team Avatar - as in the twins - returned to Korra's home for the annual celebration. They walked around in a group at first, not quite sure what to do, but Korra and Mako quickly found a way to leave the rest behind. Asami had business to discuss with Varrick so she left to go find him, and Desna left out of sheer boredom. Leaving Eska and Bolin alone. Two alone people. Together. Alone.

"So, uh, Eska, is there anything you want to do? Any rides? Maybe I could get you some food?"

"Amuse me."

Bolin blushed, twiddling his thumbs, acting the same way he did when they first met. "Well, I'm feeling sorta, ah, hungry! I guess we could get something to eat, if, you know, that's alright with you - I mean! If you're not hungry! We don't have to go! If you want!"

Eska looked unamused. She sighed. "You're never this nervous on any of our our other dates, why are you acting more scared than usual?"

"Well…"

She moaned. "Don't say this relationship is turning you into a sap like Korra and Mako."

"It's not that sappy-"

"Yes, the whole 'this is where we met' notion is _very_ sappy. Now amuse me, before I go leave you for Desna."

That got Bolin's attention. 'Oh! No! I'll stop, I swear! C'mon, Eska, let's go get something to eat! We could have cotton candy!" Bolin took Eska's hand and dragged her around the festival as he looked for the food. He talked a mile a minute about all the things they could do on their date. "Ice skating! Yeah! That sounds fun, right? You like skating, don't you?"

"I'm a waterbender. Of course I like skating."

'Oh! Oh. Right, right… yeah, forgot about that. Ooh! I know! We could play games! I could win you a plushie panda-penguin!"

"You're not funny at all, tonight, Bolin."

Bolin's face went an even deeper red. People began staring at the odd couple. Finally they made their way to the food stands.

"So Eska, what food do you want?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Then let's get cotton candy, you don't have to be hungry to have that!"

Another sigh from Bolin's rather unenthusiastic girlfriend. "If you insist."

Bolin awkwardly handed Eska the cotton candy. In public, they acted a lot differently - Bolin was more nervous to make sure Eska wasn't embarrassed, and Eska was a lot more gloomy - she was secretly just unsure about how to keep up with Bolin, and his big impact everywhere he went. However, in private things went a lot more smoothly - and they wEre a lot more romantic than this kind of date, with people all around them. If they actually went in public for a date instead of staying at home, they'd just go to the park or theatre or small restaurant, someplace with more privacy, hidden from judging eyes. They both knew how they changed around other people, and their secret selves were only known to each other, giving them a sort of secret code when they were out in the open - "I know what you're really like." Bolin was only purely himself with Eska, not even with Mako or Korra, and the same went for Eska, she was still slightly pretending even with Desna. No one knew. It was their secret.

They found a table and picked at the cotton candy, holding it together. They didn't notice until after they're sat down that Mako and Korra were a few metres away from them - the two idiots were feeding each other cotton candy like last year.

Eska looked down at their table - the only thing that was romantic about their current situation was their hands touching while holding the cotton candy. She leaned over into Bolin's ear, faintly smiling, and said, "Okay. Maybe you aren't such a sap after all."

Bolin felt the smile against his ear, and it surprised him. Eska hardly ever smiled unless they were alone, and those times were usually just because something bad had happened to someone and it humoured her.

Once they were done with their food, Eska brushed her hands off and took one of Bolin's. "Win me something." Yet again, she was smiling.

"Uh, sure, Eska."

Things blossomed after that. They wandered through the crowd, Eska resting against Bolin, who was actually looking fairly relaxed. Bolin won Eska a panda-penguin plushie as he'd planned. Eska won two plushies, a free ticket for food, and a bunch of other Southern Water Tribe knickknacks that she didn't even want, and a flower crown.

Bolin chuckled when he saw it. "Here, let me put it it on you."

Eska laughed - and she smiled a great, big smile that Bolin had only seen once or twice before.

"No way am I putting that thing on my head."

"Aw, come on! It'll look cute."

"It doesn't even match my robes, Bolin. And do I look like the kind of person who'd wear a flower crown around?"

"No."

"See? You wear it."

"No way! I'd never live it down!"

"You've done more embarrassing stuff before!"

"Yeah, but this…! This is different!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yeah, it is!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"_Yeessss!_"

Eska gave up. She closed her eyes quickly and caught him off guard, planting a light kiss on his lips. She also sneakily put the flower crown on his head at the same time. Bolin just stood there, blushing like a maniac. They didn't kiss too often like Korra and Mako. And they'd never kissed in public before. There were people staring, weren't there? He felt their eyes in his back.

Eska, however, looked at Bolin with s smirk. "You're keeping that on. No exceptions." Yes, there were a few people looking at them - but it was a nice look, like they thought they were cute. It didn't make Eska feel uncomfortable at all.

Bolin hadn't even noticed Eska's sneaky move. He snapped back to reality. "Wait, what?" He felt his head. "Hey!"  
Eska's smirk opened up a bit more. "Got you."

"No fair!"

"Very fair."

"Hmpf."

Eska just wrapped her arm around Bolin and began to walk again. "Come on, let's go skating."

They didn't pretend for the rest of the night.

* * *

**The end! Hope you enjoyed it! Rate 'n' review PLEEEEEEEEASE!**


End file.
